1.
Queen of the Oddballs by Hillary CarlipA very fun and easy read (I'm already finished), it's the Hollywood memoir of a comedy writer/performer/jill-of-all-trades and has lots of good pop culture tidbits and pictures. This woman met and befriended Carly Simon, won a Gong Show contest, and appeared in Xanadu, what more could you ask for?
2.
Why Moms Are Weird - by Pamela RibonI started reading Pamie's blog 5 or 6 years ago, another comedy writer who is damn funny. She wrote another book (Why Girls are Weird) that was good and I'm expecting the same here. I'm drawn to witty women, particularly when I'm feeling my most cynical and in need of some levity - like now. Although I mainly read non-fiction, I've been jonesing for some escape. Also with fiction, I like to go with a known quantity - I hate when fiction disappoints and I'm picky enough that it often does. Hell, I think I'm the only person who hates Barbara Kingsolver after only reading 1 chapter because she wrote in present tense. Who does that?
3.
I'm no one you know - by Joyce Carol Oates
Well, ok, so I had to balance out the funny with the angst. I've read several of her short stories and would like to get a better feel for her writing so this collection of short stories should do the trick, particularly when the review says something like: her new searing short stories explore the malevolent aspects of human sexuality with unflinching authenticity and a cathartic fascination. I say, bring on the cathartic fascination and malevolent sex!
4.
Autobiography of Red - by Anne CarsonAs per our previous conversation re: poetry (see a few entries ago), I decided to check this out. Why are all the angsty women named Carson? (With the exception of a certain insatiable hair consultant of course).
5. The July/Aug issue of Atlantic Monthly
I waded through most of this yesterday. I had a subscription for many years, but the guilt of not wanting/being able to get through every issue eventually made me give it up; also the news was depressing and I couldn't deal with any more stories about war and Bush and the state of the union. Although that's still the case, I wanted a magazine I could flip through and read or not read whatever. I have one story left marked that I plan to read and hey, V, you would enjoy it: The Monster of Florence about a serial killer who preyed on couples making love up in the hills around Florence, IT. Right up your alley! I'm a sucker for true crime and it sounds like this has a bunch of sordid details and sketchy Italian political mechinations going on.
That be it. I need to get out and mow the parts of the grass that aren't dead from the heat and pack up shit in the garage. It's only 85 right now so I'd better get out there - we're supposed to have storms this afternoon so that's cool (they all passed by us last night - did you see the moon? It was pretty incredible and nearing full).
3 comments:
Hell, I think I'm the only person who hates Barbara Kingsolver after only reading 1 chapter because she wrote in present tense.
I hate Barbara Kingsolver because once upon a time every earnest-looking white girl on the subway was reading that damn book, so I figured it had to be bad.
Do you hate the present tense all the time, or was it just something about the way she uses it?
Sweetie, I'll pick up the latest issue of the Atlantic Monthly and give that Florence story a read. It does sound very interesting!
I hope you enjoy the Carson book! And Carson Wilds may be as angsty as a vanilla bean frappacino, but gosh darn it, she is capable of emoting anger-like emotions, particularly when someone fucks with her shears.
I think one must be very talented to use present tense well and..frankly, I don't believe she is.
I'm halfway through the Monster of Florence story - lordy, it includes sexual mutilation and incompetent lawyers. It's perrrfect!
Carson W also does not like: waxing clients' eyebrows, girls named Tiffany, Aquanet, and running out of Beer on Tap shampoo. She's such a sweetheart though, Stash is one lucky lady! You did hear that they're currently in Vegas this week, right? Apparently Carson is attending the Hair Extension Convention, Stash has been shamelessly hitting on chicks at the Hard Rock offering to show them her 'etchings', and Paolo..Paolo has tickets to each and every Cirque de Soliel show in town. Those crazy kids..
I never really thought of present tense as being particularly difficult to write...I think the trick is not to overuse it, as many writers do (particularly in fanfic). Shifting back & forth between tenses can be much more effective.
I'm halfway through the Monster of Florence story - lordy, it includes sexual mutilation and incompetent lawyers. It's perrrfect!
Darn it, I couldn't find this at the local bookstore, just the Atlantic's summer fiction issue. Maybe B&N will have it.
The girls are in Vegas? I hope Sara Sidle doesn't hear of this. She's one of Stash's exes...it could get ugly. Or interesting.
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